Sergio Garcia won his first title on the LIV Golf Tour in the most improbable style after Anirban Lahiri missed a tap-in to win the event at Valderrama
Sergio Garcia clinched his first LIV Golf victory in the most unexpected fashion on home turf in Spain at Valderrama, profiting as Anirban Lahiri threw away what seemed a certain win.
Garcia made an impressive comeback from seven shots behind in the third and final round to force a playoff, but it should never have reached that point. Lahiri, who is part of Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers team, missed an 18-inch putt on the last hole of regulation play, squandering his chance to secure the win.
After carding five-under at his country’s iconic course, Garcia maintained his composure in the playoff and triumphed on the second extra hole, tapping in for par after India’s Lahiri crumbled under pressure and scored a six.
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Garcia had been defeated in three playoffs since becoming a founding member of LIV Golf in 2022, but he finally crossed the finish line in his 30th event on the Saudi Arabia-backed tour. This marked Garcia’s first win since securing the Sanderson Farms Championship on the PGA Tour in 2020.
Garcia’s victory, which netted him a hefty £3.1million paycheck plus a quarter share of $1.2m after his Fireballs team won the team title in Andalusia.
“Without a doubt,” Garcia beamed when asked if this was one of his top career victories. “I said to my coach I’m going to shoot five-under and see what happens. I played well, I played well in the playoff and I’m so happy. [The fans] were unbelievable all week and to have my kids and my wife and my parents here, it’s a dream come true.”
Lahiri, who recently felt the sting of defeat in a playoff in final qualifying that cost him a spot at next week’s Open Championship to LIV Golf competitor Abraham Ancer, not only missed his shot at his first victory on the controversial new tour but also lost out on a hefty payday. Instead of pocketing the $4 million winner’s cheque, he settled for $2.25 million as the runner-up.